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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: telescope

telescope stories: 13 news summaries

(Newser) - On August 25, 1609—400 years ago today—Galileo Galilei introduced Venice to the telescope, and the discoveries it enabled were every bit as revolutionary as Darwinism, writes Peter Walker of the Guardian. With his telescope, a brown stick weaker than today's store-bought models, Galileo detected moon-like phases of Venus,... More »

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astronomy • science • telescope • Philadelphia • Galileo • anniversary

(Newser) - Scientists are calling on amateur astronomers to help solve the centuries-old puzzle of a super-bright star that goes dim every 27 years. Epsilon Aurigae will fade out from this fall to spring 2011; this time around, scientists are looking to ordinary sky-watchers to provide extra data on the mysterious companion... More »

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astronomy • telescope

OPINION

Despite Its Faults (and Costs), Hubble Remains Crucial

Pricey telescope enhances our understanding of space

May 21, 09 1:07 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Hubble Space Telescope has expanded our knowledge of black holes, so it’s ironic that critics complain the $9.6 billion device is sucking up money and energy that could be shifted to other programs. But, on CNET, Don Reisinger defends the telescope as earthlings’ best shot at unlocking... More »

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NASA • astronomy • space • telescope • space telescope • Hubble Space Telescope

 Hubble Gets New Camera 


May 14, 09 4:58 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Hubble space telescope got some improved vision today in the form of a new camera. Two Atlantis astronauts completed a seven-hour spacewalk to give the 19-year-old telescope a much-needed upgrade, Space.com reports. "Woo-hoo, it's moving out," said astronaut Andrew Feustel after the old camera refused to... More »

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NASA • telescope • Atlantis • astronauts • deep space • Atlantis Space Shuttle • Hubble Space Telescope • Jay-ZTV

(Newser) - Astronomers in Chile looking for an Earth-like planet have discovered the closest one in size yet, the BBC reports. Don’t get your hopes up: Though Gliese 581 e, which lies outside our solar system, is just twice as large as Earth, it travels far too close to its sun... More »

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telescope • Earth • Chile • solar system • exoplanet • outer space • Gliese 581 e

 3-D Map Adds Light Years 
 to Concept of Universe 

Survey used red shift to find relative distances of heavenly bodies

Oct 15, 08 5:00 PM CDT
(Newser) - Telescope photographs of the night sky are compelling, but it’s hard to get a feel for the heavens when you’re Earthbound. The recently completed Sloan Digital Sky Survey can help: It is a 3-D map of the area within 2 billion light years of Earth that allows the... More »

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astronomy • space • telescope • digital photography • Milky Way • map • galaxy

Trick Telescopy Aids in Search for Alien Life

Precision mirrors could show stargazers
planets far, far away

Oct 13, 08 2:03 PM CDT
(Newser) - Telescope technology currently in the works will use light measurements to search for planets beyond our solar system whose orbit around a star means they could support life, Wired reports. The system, called nulling interferometry, uses tiny mirrors that move at atomic levels to combine the power of several telescopes,... More »

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planet • space • telescope • extraterrestrial life

 New Telescope Joins Alien Hunt 

Low-frequency array checks for nearby ETs

Jun 11, 08 2:47 PM CDT
(Newser) - If ET is within a hop, skip, and a solar system, a shiny new European telescope might just turn him up, Space.com reports. Made up of up to 25,000 antennae scattered throughout Europe, the LOFAR, or Low Frequency Array, will be able to scan light signals overlooked by... More »

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telescope • deep space • extraterrestrial life • aliens

 Microsoft Puts Universe
 on Your Desktop 

Astronomers swoon over internet stargazing program

May 13, 08 2:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stargazers got a new toy today, when Microsoft unveiled WorldWide Telescope, a free new program that gives armchair astronomers an unprecedented look at the stars. The program brings Internet space programs to new heights, rendering complete 3D models of thousands of galactic destinations, the New York Times reports. More »

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astronomy • Google • Microsoft • space • telescope

Total Eclipse Coming Feb. 20

3 billion could see Earth's shadow blot moon

Feb 7, 08 6:02 PM CST
(Newser) - Nearly half the world's population will find themselves really in the dark Feb. 20 as Earth's shadow totally eclipses the moon, LiveScience reports. Visible to 3 billion residents of North and South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia, the eclipsed moon will create a celestial triangle in the night... More »

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NASA • astronomy • telescope • Saturn • lunar eclipse • moon

Gates Sees Stars, Donates $10M to 'Scope

Joins 2nd Microsoft mogul in backing plan to photograph heavens

Jan 5, 08 4:05 PM CST
(Newser) - Bill Gates and Bill Simonyi—space geeks and Microsoft billionaires both—are donating $30 million to the Chilean-based Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, the Guardian reports. The $400 million endeavor, scheduled to be working in 2015, will snap pics of the sky with a 3,200 megapixel digital camera every 15... More »

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astronomy • Bill Gates • telescope • Chile • universe • International Space Station • galaxy • Cerro Pachon • Andes Mountains • Large Synoptic Survey Telescope • Charles Simonyi • Tucson, Arizona

Scientists Find Cold Dwarf Star

Failed star has temperature a tenth of the sun's

Jun 5, 07 8:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Scientists are over the moon with the discovery of a cold brown dwarf in the Cetus constellation. The star-like body, spotted by a British team using the UKIRT telescope in Hawaii, is the coldest of its kind ever seen, the BBC reports, tipping thermometers at just 800 degrees F, a... More »

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space exploration • planet • space • dwarf star • telescope • star • Cetus • discovery

NASA Reveals Superpowered Telescope

Giant camera will replace Hubble,
see across universe

May 11, 07 4:38 PM CDT
(Newser) - NASA has uncovered a prototype for a new telescope that will outmagnify the dominant Hubble. The James Webb Space Telescope will cost $4.5 billion and float nearly a million miles from Earth when it launches in six years; its supercharged hexagonal mirror will transmit images of the farthest and... More »

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NASA • space exploration • James Webb Space Telescope • Hubble • space • telescope • James Webb

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